Cedric Mullins’ brief stint in Queens did not produce the results the Mets hoped for.
The Mets acquired Mullins from the Orioles moments before the trade deadline last July, shipping three prospects to Baltimore in exchange for the veteran outfielder.
The 31-year-old admitted that leaving the Orioles, after a decade in the organization, made for a difficult adjustment.
“It hit pretty hard, having to uplift your entire life,” Mullins said during an appearance on “Foul Territory” Wednesday.
“Especially out in New York, where things can get hectic on a day-to-day basis. It was definitely a lot of changes and adjustments that had to be made, along with trying to perform at your best.”
Acquired to shore up center field after Jose Siri’s knee injury — and underperformance from Tyrone Taylor — the Mets hoped Mullins could recapture some of his All-Star form from 2021, when he hit 30 home runs and stole 30 bases.
Even his first-half output with Baltimore — a .229/.305/.433 slash line with 15 homers and 49 RBIs —would have represented a stark upgrade for New York.
Instead, Mullins’ performance mirrored the team’s late-season collapse; he made some costly mistakes on defense while hitting just .182 with two homers and 10 RBIs, spending most of September on the bench.
“Foul Territory” co-host and ex-MLB catcher Erik Kratz asked Mullins if he felt pressure to play differently upon joining the Mets.
“In some instances, yeah,” Mullins said. “There were a bunch of talented guys where I didn’t feel like I had to come in and be something I completely wasn’t.
“I was just trying to complement what the team already had and that might have put some pressure on me to do a little too much for what was already a good team that fell off at the end.”
Despite standout individual seasons from Juan Soto, Francisco Lindor and the since-departed Pete Alonso, a rash of injuries to the pitching led to a crushing end to the year, as the Mets missed the playoffs after losing on the last day of the season.
The pitching woes, in particular, impacted the Mets down the stretch, according to Mullins.
“After a week, two weeks, it feels pretty evident the pitching was struggling,” Mulins added. “We had to try to come back late in a lot of the games. When it comes in waves like that, it’s tough to battle back. Every once in a while, we’d have a moment where our arms would be dominating and the offense is struggling to get it going.
“When you have that roller coaster going back and forth, it’s tough to get momentum going for us, especially in a playoff run.”
In a transformative offseason for the Mets, a Mullins reunion was not in the cards, as he returned to the familiar AL East, signing a one-year, $8 million deal with the Rays.
Mullins said the Rays’ return to Tropicana Field in 2026 — after the team was displaced last season following Hurricane Milton — factored into his decision.
“I saw what that schedule looked like for them last year,” Mullins said, referencing the team’s stretch at George M. Steinbrenner Field, which does not have a roof. “They went through it for sure.”
As for the Mets, the club addressed its center field void by acquiring former All-Star Luis Robert Jr. from the White Sox this week.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
